forcing an emergency landing. police in london confirm they're investigating potential fraud offences in relation to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub—post masters by the post office. the us secretary of state, antony blinken, begins his latest trip to the middle east as gaza health officials say 18 palestinians were killed in an overnight israeli attack in khan younis. three arrests over a fire on a bangladesh train after at least four people, including a child, died. it comes ahead of this weekend's election. it's an epic work that will span 18 metres. a new national war memorial will be installed in washington

dc later this year — and one foundry in gloucestershire has played a key part. the extraordinary work of art has taken pangolin foundry in stroud and american sculptor sabin howard around 10 years to create, as amanda parr reports. a depiction of one soldier's journey through the great war and a creative journey like no other for the team here at pangolin. the american sculptor, sabin howard, searched the world for a foundry he trusted and he discovered it in stroud. as you can see, the casting has come beautifully, really sharp detail. i'm really happy with that. it's been a decade in the making. the process has been astonishing. actors with clothes from the period flew from the states to pose before this rig of cameras. sd images were then made up in foam and clay and sent back to the us for the sculpting,

from life, each figure taking hundreds of hours. and then they've been shipped back to stroud to be cast in bronze. the project of a lifetime. how's the work going? how's the modelling? this week, one more day, next week, five days and then four days. so that's total of ten days of sculpting. and we're finished 60 feet and 25 tonnes. what a project. it'll be america's first ever national memorial to the first world war, and some very well known us citizens have lent their support to the project. it captures the dignity of the mission that the people who fought in that war were carrying in their hearts, the trauma that they endured and the legacy that they left behind. and the monument is...just breathtaking. while its creation has been complex, its narrative will be compellingly simple — one soldier's journey and a young nation coming of age. it's been said this work of art could become the greatest memorial

bronze of the modern age, and one gloucestershire foundry will have played no small part in that achievement. amanda palmer, bbc news. now on bbc news, the travel show: uzbekistan: the heart of central asia a double landlocked country steeped in silk road legacy... it's like something from a 60s spy movie or something. it's incredible. horns sound ..meet ancient traditions... this is amazing. i can't believe this. this is where arches would have stood. ..and vast landscapes... ..hide impressive relics. it's pretty astonishing that i'm able to still walk around here. for the best part of a century, this country has been off

limits to many outsiders. but in recent years, that's been changing, and i'm on a journey to see what we've been missing out on. this is uzbekistan. once part of the enormous soviet union, uzbekistan is a country of arid deserts, lush mountains and ancient cities. in its long history, it's been home to many civilisations, remnants of which can still be seen today.

and now its more recent past is as much of a draw. i'm starting myjourney here in tashkent, the biggest city in the whole of central asia. it's dynamic, full of young people — with almost half under the age of 30 — and it's booming. though wherever you look, you are reminded of its soviet past. so what's this impressive building? incredible. this is our circus. munis nur has been studying the unique blend of soviet and islamic architecture that tashkent is known for. after a massive earthquake in the 60s, the soviets rebuilt the whole city. at that time, as you know, many different architects came from the soviet union, and all the architects tried to build the ideal city here. the circus is one of the many examples of the era's

modernist architecture. but back in the day, it was also a symbol of the soviet union's big ambitions. first astronauts were visiting the space, and these ideas were also reflected in this building, because the shape of our circus is like spaceship. so this circus is almost like a tribute to space research and the futuristic idea that the soviets had? yes, yes. once the soviet union dissolved, uzbekistan became an independent country. but for almost three more decades, it was ruled by an authoritarian leader. the death of islam karimov in 2016 kick—started some huge changes, including a big tourism drive. ilkhom was once an underground theatre, but now it draws in an international audience. i think i'm just catching them in mid—rehearsal. i'll take a seat. the theatre has been around for almost 50 years. it's famous for its bold

performances, and creating debate even during the soviet rule. irina bharat is the programme director here. the audience is very different even now from the majority of our society, and it was kind of underground plays. we have very strong, our censorship here, because we know how we can offend local people. so even we are trying to say something very... ..avant—garde and progressive, we are trying to find a solution, and the way how to say this because we want us to be heard, not just be provocative. but despite their best efforts, ilkhom's existence is precarious.

this building doesn't belong to us, and they tried to kick us outjust two years ago. but then i think they have decided they need someone who... just a symbol of democracy. and a distinctive symbol too. i get the impression uzbekistan is involved in a tug—of—war between becoming more open and progressive and respecting its past. i'm travelling an hour outside of the city to see that past in its full glory. this is parkent, known locally as quyosh, which means "the sun" in uzbek, and there's good reason for that. and there it is now. in the middle of nowhere, on a mountain — like, nothing else around it — and it's like something from a 60s spy movie or something. it's incredible. the institute of the sun

is a soviet legacy. i can't believe i'm actually allowed in here. it was once home to a top secret project, testing the capabilities of military equipment to withstand extreme heats. whoa! what an incredible view! dr shavkat nurmatov is one of the people in charge. so tell me, originally, why was this whole institute created? it was a time of race between capitalistic system and soviet system. the furnace was built to rival its french equivalent, the only other of its kind in the world. first, the main idea was about achieving high temperatures in the focal spot

by cheap and fast way, and 3,000 degrees c required to test some facilities. at that time it was military tests, the focal spot... to see how military equipment can deal with extreme temperature, yes? yes, yes. for example, a simulation of nuclear power explosion, testing of protecting material of space shuttles. it works by turning 62 mirrored panels to bounce the sun onto 10,000 tiny mirrors onto the dish—shaped building. they then focus the sun's rays onto a small furnace known as the concentrator. and you can even see for yourself just how powerful the sun can be when reflected off mirrors. yeah? 0k. so you hold it. oh, look at that! immediately. within two or three seconds, this

stick gets to 1,000 degrees celsius. absolutely love it. the institute has lost some of its former glory. hard to imagine, but in its heyday, there'd have been more than a thousand of the soviet union's top minds working here. today, there's less than 200 people. but they're still making scientific advances with this space race era technology. the furnace�*s focal point is located on top of a tower, and i'm granted special access to see one of the experiments being worked on today. they don't fire up the furnace every day, so i'm lucky to see this. these scientists are testing to see if the material can be used to create a new heat conductor.

be careful. yeah. what's totally incredible is that literallyjust a metre away from me, is this saucepan size of material bubbling away. it's being tested under 3,000 degrees celsius of heat, and that's a result of all these mirrors reflecting the sun's rays. what an amazing experience. this place really is like a time capsule. things have been leftjust as they were during the soviet rule. but that rule was just a short blip on the timeline of this ancient country, and to journey even deeper into that past, i'm leaving the tashkent region behind. if you ever wanted a symbol for uzbekistan�*s rapid modernisation, then look no further than its high speed train line — the only one of its

kind in central asia. i'm heading west to karakalpakstan, an off the beaten track autonomous region in the middle of the kyzylkum desert. it's interesting. back in the day, this route along the old silk road from tashkent to bukhara, where we're going, would have been made at the speed of a camel. this rail network is due to be extended next year. but for now, i have to swap my mode of transport to drive six hours through some of the driest and most remote landscape i've ever seen. this has been a long, bumpy ride, but i've been promised it's worth it, and i'm going to see something spectacular very soon.

this area is known as the land of fortresses. and they were built to protect traders, going along the silk road, from marauding nomads. ayaz kala is 2,500 years old. this is where archers would have stood to fire arrows from. and do you know what? i can see why. this is a brilliant vantage point. you can see for absolutely miles. 50 fortresses like this are scattered across the desert. surprisingly, only a few have been excavated and a huge amount of work is under way to discover more about the ancient civilisations who built these impressive castles. it's unbelievable they're still intact considering not only their age, but the harsh climate and the basic materials that they're made of.

karakalpakstan is located to the west of the aral sea — a lake so huge it once straddled six countries. but it's been shrinking for decades, first because of soviet farming projects and later climate change. ok, now we've entered into the heart of karakalpakstan, which is quite a poor region. and you can also tell that maybe the infrastructure needs a bit more work, but it's all part of the charm for now. tourism is reinvigorating this community. some come here to see what's left behind of this once—magnificent sea, and others for a camping experience with a twist — to stay in traditional uzbek yurts.

i'm joining azamat turklev for the day to see the craftsmanship that goes into building one. everything in this workshop is built by hand, the skills developed over generations. how many of these do you make a week? once the parts have been made, putting it up is fairly easy. these are excellent. yeah, yeah, yeah. wow. brilliant — look at that. this is the lattices all stuck together. thank you. wow. i'm going to walk through the door so we can lift the roof. oh, wow. yes, look at this! that's brilliant. this is a proper skilled task here.

the waterproof cover comes on just in time. so, this is lucky. the rain has just got really heavy.

azamat is excited about what the future holds. it's been a bit of a journey to get here, but seeing this part of the country has really made me appreciate uzbekistan�*s more traditional culture. and my last stop is taking me even further back in time. i'm on my way to khiva, one of the most ancient cities in central asia. the old town, itchan kala, is so well preserved, it's like a film set.

the kalta minaret, the islam khoja mosque, and even the walls themselves are just a few of the landmarks that uzbekistan has been painstakingly restoring. and today it looks like something special is going on. uzbekistan�*s first—ever world ethnosports festival, an event designed to preserve the more traditional sports in their authentic form. teams from over 60 countries have travelled here to take part, and locals tell me this is the biggest event that khiva has ever hosted. it's great here. there's always something going on. turn any corner and you'll find some sort of action. kurash wrestling is traditional to asia, but here today, unusually, it's being practised by young women. borjon khumluva is representing uzbekistan.

it's believed that kurash dates back to a time when there was a matriarchal society in which women would test the worthiness of their groom in a match. if the man lost, the woman stayed single. can you beat most of these boys?

0k! i'd be terrified of fighting against you, let me tell you! show me your best move. come on. yeah. and then i'd go over. thank you for not putting me over! thank you. thank you very much. thank you! there are more than 20 traditional sports being played here today, and this festival is about enticing a new generation of players to get involved. the jabborov family have been tightrope walkers

for hundreds of years. do you want to go upstairs? no! no, thank you. but i knew that answer wasn't going to fly. however, i don't think even i was prepared for what was about to happen. i've got to say, i can't help but feel a hard hat would have been more appropriate than these fancy boots.

do what you have to do. here we go. he groans with effort gracious as ever! ugh! what am i doing?! and we're actually walking. oh, my goodness. whoa! hand on this? 0k. turning around. he whispers: here we go. he laughs this is amazing. i can't believe this! any moment now, i'm surely going to fall. but, as we totter across the rug... ..it�*s like a baby walking for the first time. here we go. i'm going to make it! i'm going to make it. don't get too presumptuous! yes! check that out! thank you! he laughs

he pants whoa! that was exhilarating. that is one of the most scary things i've ever done! and i've done some stuff, and whoa! rahmat! horns blare sonorously applause

as the sun sets on khiva, it's a perfect end to my trip. i'll be honest — uzbekistan has not really been on my radar, but, in a way, that's not surprising. this country's been closed to the outside world for nigh—on a century. once at the heart of the silk road, linking the east and west, it's now looking to reconnect and wholeheartedly embrace tourism — keen to show the world its vibrant culture, ancient heritage and architectural wonders. it's forging a new identity while being just as proud of its past.

hello there. for many of us, it's been a dry and a fairly quiet start to the weekend. good news, of course, after the recent heavy rainfall and the storms that we've had, the flooding now should start to subside, but we've had lots of blue skies this morning. this was the scene in south lanarkshire. but you can see from the satellite image here, for many parts of the uk we've had clear skies and that's been extending its way out into the atlantic as well. the reason for that is high pressure, which is building in now across the united kingdom. and what that does is it stops the atlantic weather systems coming in, those rain bearing weather systems moving in. so things are certainly looking more settled for the weekend and into next week. for the rest of today, we've still got quite a bit of cloud across eastern areas.

one or two showers here, showers easing across parts of wales, just limited towards western coastal areas, one or two towards cornwall as well. maximum temperatures get into about six to eight degrees celsius. for most of us, it's a lovely afternoon with some dry weather and some sunshine. through this evening and tonight, the cloud across eastern areas may just drift a bit further westward, but there'll be some clear skies across most areas and it's going to be quite cold, actually. there's going to be some frost, particularly towards the north and the west, temperatures here —1, —2 degrees celsius where you keep some cloud, perhaps frost—free, temperatures staying just above freezing. but as we go through sunday, there could be a few showers coming into northeastern areas of england. the cloud may start off with or tend to lift and break. there'll be some sunny spells across most parts of the uk on sunday afternoon and temperatures about four to six degrees celsius, but a chilly two degrees there in glasgow. as we go into next week, this area of high pressure remains. it doesn't look like it's going to move very far at all really for the next five days, so the outlook is drier.

but beneath that area of high pressure, we've got an east or north—easterly wind drawing in that colder air from scandinavia. so the temperatures will be at or below the average for the time of year. on monday morning, some patches of mist and fog they should lift and clear away, some frost around as well. but plenty of dry weather with some sunny spells. temperatures in the face of it, about three to five degrees celsius. but we have that rather brisk east or northeasterly wind, it's going to feel more like this. so perhaps feeling like freezing across central areas. and then for the rest of the week, it remains largely dry and settled. bye— bye.

live from london. this is bbc news. alaska airlines grounds

boeing 737 max 9 planes after a section of fuselage, including a window, broke off mid—air, forcing an emergency landing. police in london confirm they're investigating potential fraud offences in relation to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub—postmasters by the post office. diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war in gaza continue, with the eu's chief diplomat warning against escalation. it is imperative to avoid regional escalation in the middle east. three people are arrested over a fire on a bangladesh train which killed at least four people, including a child. it comes ahead of this weekend's election. hello, i'm lucy grave.